Safety device for railway-cars.



W. S. JACKSON. SAFETY DEVICE FOR RAILWAY v(MRS. APPLICATION rILnn M122, 1909.

l 926,334, Patented Jun 29, 1909.

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UNITED STATES rigr'nnr OFFICE.-

WALTER S. JACKSON, OF WATERVILLE, MAINE.

SAFETY.DEVICE FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

l Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 22, 1909. Serial No. 484,869.

Patented June 29, 1909.

o, relief valve in the train pipe when any one of, the wheels goes off the rail whereby the air brakes are automatically applied and the train stopped. i

The object of my present invention is to constructta device of this character which maybe applied to. both freight and passenger cars, which will permit the truck to turn freelywith relation to the car body and which -will beoperated when any one wheel leaves the rail.

I carryout the above object by 'meansof the device hereinafter described and claimed. .1 illustrate my invention by means of the accompanying drawing in which-.

.Fignre 1 shows a part elevation of an end of a car with part transverse section of the same and-having my safety device applied,

a series of horizontally dispose and'Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, showing one pair of trucks.

In the drawings, similar letters represent similar parts.

A represents the car body, B the wheels and B. the truck time, D being the train pipe. connected with the air brake system.

Accordingto my invention I provide a relief -valve as d connected with the train pipe preferably by means of a right angle olfset as here shown. The relief valve is provided With a suitable operating handle d or other equivalent means of opening the valve. Mechanism is provided by which this valve isopened automatically when any portion of the car truckdrops down below its normal position with relation to the car body as when: the truck leaves-the rail.

rimarily by arms 0 one of which is secured to the truck frame adjacent to each of the axles. I have here shown the arm 0. as attached to the side of each journal box but it may be secured to i The mechanism is operated the truck frame in any other suitable position except that it should in each case be near the axle of the wheel so that when the wheel leaves the track it follows the latter downward with relation to the car body.

The impulse by which the mechanism is operated is given by the impingement oft-he arm (1 upon a horizontally disposed member running lengthwise of the car vertically bc-j neath the arm 0 and in such a position as to be struck by it when the wheel drops down from the rail or otherwise falls down with relation to the car body.

As here Zhown, considering the mechanism shown I this horizontal member consists of a rod h suspended from the lower ends of the two:

links 9, these links being in turn connected with the outer ends of two horizontal-arms j secured to a. shaft 2' journaled in hangers ls secured-as here shown on the under side of the car body. The arm 0 extends horizontally out over the rod ii and sufficiently high above it to allow for any vertical motion which the car may make with reference to the truck whereby the arm 0 will never come in contact with the rod l2v unless the wheel or truckdrops down from the rail and below its normal position. Means are provided for holding and guiding the ends of the rod lb and as here shown I extend downward the hangers which support the shaft 2' forming downward extension Zr turned up at the lower ends to form a vertical slot is in which the rod h is free to play vertically. Means are provided for holding the shaft 2' in its normal position so that the arm 7' will be in a horizontal position and as here shown, I accomplish this by means a spring a secured to'the car body and pressing against a.square face formed on the innor end of the arm 7'. ism is provided connecting the valve handle at with the shaft i whereby the valve is opened by the rotation of'the shaft 27. For this purpose I secure to the shaft i at a point where it is free'from the truck a depending arm f to the lower end of this arm is connected a link e one end of which is connected .00

to the lower end of the arm f and the other end to the valve handle d;

1 the right hand side of Fig. 1,

Connecting mechan-- side of the car at the left hand of Fig. 1

with the exception that the short arm j instead of projecting outward projects inward underne h the'car and it is connected with the horizontal rod h by a bent link g so that the act, of depressing the rod It will rotate the shaft 2' on that side of the car in the same direction as the opposite shaft is rotated.

As here shown the lower end of the link f on the left hand side of Fig. 1 is connected with the valve handle (l' by the horizontal link (2 and as a result of this construction the rotation of either shaft z'pushes .the valve handle in the same direction and causes the valve to open. This same result may be accomplished by connecting the rod /i to the arm j otherwise'than as here shown.

Having described the construction of my device, its operation is easily understood. When one of the wheels leaves the-track the arm' strikes the rod -]L and forcing it downward causes the link g to turn the shaft 2'.

The arm f will thus be swung in the properdirection to open the valve acting through the link 0 on one side and the link 0 on the outer side. When the relief valve is open the brakes are automatically set as in the ordinary operation of the air brake.

;In practice one of the actuating arms 0 is se'cpred to the truck or some portion thereof 1 near each wheel and on both ends of the car so that if an axle breaks or a wheel breaks or 'one of the wheels is derailed or anything happens which will cause the truck or any portion thereof to drop below its normal position with regard o the car body the air brake is at once set.

The device as I have shown and described itisimlzipted to be applied to either passenger or freight cars and it is so designed that it wild-lko-t-i-rrtenfere in any way with the ordinary runningwv-ftln: train. ofthe free movement of the truck about its pivoting pin.

"hilc I have described in detail the one manner of applying the invention, it is obvious that modifications may be made in the mechanism without departing from the spiritof the invention. aml nun'ierous modifications may be made to adapt the device to cars of various builds.

The nnhanism onnecting the rod IL with the relief valve may be varied. from what is here shown so long as a downward motion of the rod acts to open the valve through suitable connecting mechanism.

I claim 1- 1. In a safety device for. railway cars, the

combination of a horizontallyprojecting a rm secured to the truck, a horizontal bar extending lengthwise of the car and vertically beneath said arm, a plurality of links for supporting said bar, a shaft journaled beneath and supported by the car body and substantially parallel with said rod, horizontal arms on said shaft to the ends of which said links are connected, a relief valve on the train pipe and mechanism for opening said relief valve operated by the rotation of said shaft.

2. In a safety device for railway cars, the combination of a horizontally projecting arm secured to the truck, a horizontal bar extend ing lengthwise of the car and vertically beneath said arm, yielding supports for said bar attached to the car body, a relief valve on the train pipe and mechanism for opening said relief valve operated by the depression of said bar.

3. In a safety device for railway cars the combination of a horizontal arm secured to the truck, a horizontal barextending longi-' combination of a horizontally projecting arm secured to the truck, a horizontal bar extending lengthwise of the car and vertically beneath said arm, a plurality of links for supporting said bar, a shaft journaled beneath and supported by the car body and substantially parallel with said rod, horizontal. arms on said shaft to the ends of which said links are connected, a relief valve on the train pipe aml mechanism for frictionally retaining the shaft in its normal position and mechanism for opening said relief valve operated by the r tation of the shaft.

in a safety device for railway cars, the eombinat ion of a lu'nrizontally projecting arm secured to the truck, a horizontal bar extending lengtlnvise of the car and vertically beneath the said arm, a plurality of links for supporting said bar, a shaft beneath the car body and substantially parallel with said bar,

hangers in which said. shaft is journaled secured to the under side of the car body each of said hangers having a downward extension containing a vertical slot for embracing and guiding said rod, horizontal arm ()JYSHi'd' shaft to the ends of which the said links are connected, a relief valve on the trainpipe ism for opening said relief valve operated 10 and mechanism operated by the rotation of said shaft for opening said relief valve.

6. In a safety device for railway cars the combination of a horizontally projecting arm secured to the truck, a horizontal member vertically beneath said arm extending lengthwise of the'car and secured to the car body, a relief valve for the train pipe and mechanby the depression of said horizontal member.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 13th day of March, 1909.

WALTER s. JACKSON.

\Vitnesss:

S. l/V. BATES, E. WV. DENNIS. 

